The gun battle broke out in the morning after security forces acting on specific information about the presence of terrorists in the south Kashmir district.

Two security personnel were also injured in the encounter.

There were also protests Saturday after at least three rebels were reportedly killed in Srinagar, Kashmir's main city.

While expressing solidarity with the bereaved families, he demanded an immediate end to "impunity to security forces in such cases". Rafi was awarded PhD in August a year ago.

After several hours of fighting, five freedom fighters were martyred and a policeman and a soldier wounded, said S.P. Vaid, police director-general.

Saddam who was one of the close associates of Burhan Wani - the Hizb commander whose death in 2016 triggered massive uprising across Kashmir with over 10 civilians getting killed by forces during protests, which also saw more than 10,000 people getting injured, hundreds of them losing eyesight completely or partially in pellet firing.

Authorities imposed restrictions under section 144 of the CrPc in parts of Srinagar as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in view of a strike called by separatists over the killing of militants.

A couple of Kashmiri students, including those pursuing engineering course and post-graduation, had in the recent past joined terrorist ranks, but it was for the first instance of a university teacher picking up the gun. Internet on mobile phones also remained suspended for the second day, a common practice by Indian authorities to make organizing protests hard. "We gave them a chance to surrender".

Opposition National Conference (NC) working president Omar Abdullah said Kashmir issue has to be resolved through sustained dialogue and engagement and the "unabated" civilian killings in the Valley were unacceptable.

Thousands of people who had assembled in the village raised forceful pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans.

Almost 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.